Death of Staff Sgt. Robert M. Devitto being investigated as homicide

Devitto was a 2005 graduate of James Buchanan High School and an active duty soldier at Fort Bragg, N.C.

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By Colleen Seidel/The Record Herald

Waynesboro Record Herald - Waynesboro, PA

By Colleen Seidel/The Record Herald

Posted Jan. 2, 2013 at 12:45 PM

By Colleen Seidel/The Record Herald

Posted Jan. 2, 2013 at 12:45 PM

Police in Lee County, N.C., are investigating the death of a 2005 James Buchanan High School graduate as a homicide after he died Dec. 21 from gunshot wounds suffered a few days earlier during a duck hunting trip.
According to reports in the Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer, deputies who responded to the scene were unable to determine if Staff Sgt. Robert M. Devitto, formerly of Fort Loudon, Pa., accidentally shot himself or if he was shot by someone else.
Devitto, 26, of Broadway, N.C., was found by friends around 8:10 p.m. on Dec. 18 in a location on state gameland where he commonly hunted for ducks with his dog, Mayhem, according to a press release from the Lee County Sheriff's Office.
Devitto had left home around 4 p.m. that day for a duck hunting trip and had not returned by 7:30 p.m. when his wife, Jaimi (Sherrill) Devitto, enlisted the help of friends to locate him, police said.
Devitto was flown to WakeMed Hospital in Raleigh, N.C., for treatment of his wounds after he was found. He was put on life support, but was taken off of it and passed away shortly after 1 p.m. Dec. 21, according to the press release.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office said it believes there were at least two other vehicles parked to the left of Devitto's red Chevrolet truck at the hunting site.
Local graduate
Devitto is formerly of Fort Loudon. He is also survived by his parents, Linda A. (Devitto) Strite and Larry D. Strite, and sister Nicole M. Devitto, all of Shippensburg.
He played football at James Buchanan High School and enjoyed hunting, Penn State football and motorcycles. He also was a member of the Clarence Armstrong VFW Post 6241 in Mercersburg.
Devitto joined the U.S. Army after high school and served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was currently an active duty staff sergeant stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C.
Services will be held at 4 p.m. Friday in Miller-Bowersox Funeral Home, Greencastle. A burial with full military honors is planned for Wednesday, Jan. 9, in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va.